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This amazing 3-ingredient recipe for Baby Back Ribs in the Oven is my favorite. I am desperately in love with this recipe. Ribs do not have to be complicated and this recipe is a perfect example of that. No matter the time of year, you can pull fall off the bone, tender ribs right from your oven. Pair with some Crockpot Mashed Potatoes and a Pea Salad and you have an amazing dinner for any night of the week.
3 Main Ingredients
Can you believe it? With three ingredients and an oven, you’ll have delicious ribs to devour. Here’s everything you’ll need to make baby back ribs in the oven:
- Baby Back Ribs – Pork ribs to be exact! One whole rack of them! If you love tender, delectable meat, this is a recipe for you.
- Grill Seasoning – I used McCormick Smokehouse Maple Seasoning but you can use your favorite grill seasoning! Just make sure it’s on the sweet side.
- BBQ Sauce – I used Stubbs Original BBQ Sauce but feel free to use your personal favorite. My only suggestion is to make sure the seasoning and sauce complement each other in flavor. If you have some extra time, try my homemade BBQ Sauce!
What Else You’ll Need
Now because we are making baby back ribs in the oven, you’ll need a different yet familiar set of supplies as opposed to grilling ribs.
- Baking Sheet – you’re going to want a baking sheet that is large enough to support the whole rack of ribs.
- Basting Brush – I used a silicone brush but if you prefer a natural bristled brush feel free to use that too. I feel as though the silicone brush carries the sauce better without soaking it all up.
- Aluminum Foil – this is for easy cleanup and to tent your ribs.
How to Cook Ribs in the Oven
Season your meat well, wrap in foil, bake your baby back ribs in the oven, then baste with good BBQ Sauce. Right out of the oven, you get juicy and smoky ribs just by seasoning well and finishing under the broiler or on the grill. I make ribs in the oven year-round, but they are particularly tasty in the summer. For full recipe details, take a peek at the recipe card down below!
How to Remove Silverskin
Removing the silverskin membrane is actually so much easier than you think! It seems like it would be intimidating but couldn’t be simpler.
- Turn your rack of ribs over so the back, bonier side is face up.
- Starting at the smaller, narrower end, use a small knife or kitchen shears to slide under the edge of silverskin and get a little flap to grab.
- Using a paper towel, grip the flap you created and pull off. It should come off in one long sheet but if it doesn’t, use the knife to pull up another section and start pulling again.
Season the Ribs
Rub both sides generously with rib rub or seasoning of choice.
Bake the Ribs
Now you can wrap up those ribs with aluminum foil and bake until completely cooked through and tender. Mine were done right at 2 hours 15 minutes. More time in the oven can’t really hurt these guys…they’ll just become extra tender.
Finish by Basting
Baste one side generously with a really good BBQ sauce and broil (or grill) well.
Then…you guessed it! Baste the other side generously and do the same thing again.
Ahhhh, RIBS. That color is gorgeous.
Slice + Serve
Slice those babies into pieces and serve with more BBQ sauce, if that’s your thing.
Leftovers
Any leftover oven-baked ribs can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge, for up to 5 days.
Enjoy those leftovers on a salad, plain, on a taco, or even in a sandwich!
Side Dishes for Ribs
Now that you have meaty heaven waiting to be made, consider also making one of these tasty and refreshing side dishes! Simply prepare while your ribs are in the oven.
- Summer Corn Avocado Basil Salad
- Tangy Baked Beans
- Mexican Street Corn Recipe
- Classic Coleslaw with Homemade Coleslaw Dressing
- Cucumber Salad Recipe
- Oven Roasted Asparagus Recipe
Recipe Tips and FAQ:
The silverskin membrane, is a tough layer on the the bone side of your ribs. Removing it allows the flavors to better penetrate the meat and also makes the ribs more tender, so I definitely recommend taking the time to do this.
Wrapping ribs in aluminum foil helps trap the moisture in, resulting in a more tender final product. It also speeds up the cooking process a bit without affecting the tenderness and flavor. Bonus: it makes clean up a breeze!
Baby back ribs are from the top of the ribcage, near the backbone. They are smaller, leaner, and more tender with a delicate flavor. Spare Ribs come from the lower belly section of the ribcage, are larger, meatier, and have a stronger taste due to their higher fat content.
While you might be tempted to microwave your leftover ribs, if you can be patient I highly recommend reheating them in the oven. Wrap your ribs in aluminum foil and bake at 300° F for about 20 minutes.
Try these other meaty recipes!
- Smoked Ribs
- Crockpot Ribs
- Red Wine Short Ribs
- Easy BBQ Pulled Pork
- How To Cook Steak On The Stove
- Uruguayan Asado
- Smoked Pork Butt
Finger-lickin-good. If you need a fab recipe for baking baby back ribs in the oven that is full of flavor and happens to be ridiculously easy, I’ve gotcha covered. Here’s the printable recipe card. Enjoy, friends!
If you make this recipe, I would really appreciate it if you would give it a star rating and leave your review in the comments! If you have a picture of your finished dish, post it on Instagram using the hashtag #laurenslatest and tagging me @laurens_latest.
Oven Baked Ribs
Ingredients
- 1 rack pork baby back ribs
- 3-4 tablespoons grill seasoning such as McCormick Smokehouse Maple Seasoning
- 1/2 cup BBQ sauce such as Stubbs Original
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300° F. Line baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- Lay ribs onto the baking sheet. Score any tough membranes closest to the bony side of the ribs. Rub generously with grill seasoning. Cover with more foil and crimp edges of the bottom piece with the top piece.
- Bake 2-2 1/2 hours or until thoroughly cooked and tender.
- Remove from oven and baste one side of ribs with bbq sauce. Broil 2-3 minutes or until the sauce starts to brown. Flip over, baste the other side and broil again.
- Remove from oven, add more bbq sauce as needed, cut into pieces and serve.
Came out so good. My hubby loved it. Mine was done at the 2hr and 15 min mark. Ribs are kinda expensive here in California but we just had to try it this way. Have to give it a try. You won’t regret it.
Does it have to be baby back ribs?
Making these this weekend for a special dinner. I have just 1 question. Can you prepare the Ribs the night before and put in fridge wraped in foil overnight. Then pull them out of fridge the next day and cook them.
I used my own spices and bbq sauce but the prep and cooking times were perfect for my first time cooking them! They turned out great
I always made ribs in the crockpot. I tried this for something different and haven’t looked back.
Do I wrap them back up in the tin foil while they are broiling?
Loved this. Family too.
Will make again. Thanks for sharing.
la recette est en anglais
oui!
Best ribs ever. My go to recipe. Thanks, Lauren.
I made this for the first time and me and my husband love it will do it again
Hi
Just wondering if after roasting in oven, can they be finished on grill ? Id like to make these for the 4th.
Thanks
yes, absolutely!
Fool proof, PERFECT ribs EVERY TIME!! My husband and I have played around with ribs for years, and since using this recipe, have now started eating them at LEAST twice a month! I will say that 2 hr 15 min. Has been the perfect timing for us! Thank you, thank you for what can only be described as PERFECTION!!,
The greatest recipe! These ribs come out PERFECT every time!
Five star times 100 love these !!
Oh my love a duck, these turned out amazing!!! Easiest ribs around and they fall off the bone!!! Thanks Lauren xoxo family thanks you too
Lauren , love the name since I was younger ,remember Lauren from Ralph Lauren ? Anyways. I’ll quit buttering you up.lol I would just like to say that you made me a believer. In this oven ribs recipe, I’ve always smoked ribs and I used my own rubs and such and firmly believed oven ???? Get a rope mentality ,we don’t do that here in Texas! You changed all that ! Thanks oh yeah I mainly went by your timing and temp. Whoch was spot on and compelled me to thank you! Came out awesome ! Shhhhhh !
These sound easy and delicious.Can you use it with regular spareribs,(they seem to be on sale more)? If so what is the adjustment on the cooking time etc.Thank you
Not only are these ribs easy to prepare, they are delicious! I have made them several times. Oh, by the way–the minimal cleanup is a BIG plus as well!
OMG! Didn’t give too much thought about this. I just happened upon your recipe(s) when I was searching for an old tried and true one that I had stored on my PC; so well, in fact that I couldn’t find it in my manic rush to find it. However, I DID happen upon your recipes and one thing led to another and I just know that this is going to be a marriage made in heaven!
Please let me introduce myself. I am an older lady, older by terms used in this new world we now live in and am currently living in SC, USA, however, I started this journey in my late 20s in 1984, when I met my NY-born hubby and moved to Kew Gardens in Queens from Baltimore, MD. It was long distance in the beginning, meeting in one of the most unusual ways (well, for that time anyways) on CompuServe CB, a “chat” room where everything was above board and simple, and life was a lot easier, but I digress.
So, without getting into too much detail, here I am today. Reading your blog. Loving your recipes. Admiring your lifestyle and living your life the way you want to, without apologizing for too much oil, or too much of anything. Wishing I had followed a similar path, but what is it that “They” say (the infamous “THEY”), “Life is what happens when you are making plans.” I have since had a MINI stroke shortly after moving here (SC), then a full blown stroke that I am still working on getting my thoughts gathered in a coherent fashion (how’s that working out?) 8^) I try.
Besides the ribs, I also made your, may I say Fantastic?!!! Pumpkin Pecan Cobbler as an afterthought since I had had a can of Pumpkin in my pantry and all of the other ingredients (in my former life I worked in the food industry–being and having been a girl scout I’ve learned to be prepared, not to mention reduce, reuse, and recycle. I really had no hope for your creation when reading the part about the water on TOP of the dough, but OMG (again) it did just as you promised, sinking down into the flour mixture creating both the gooey caramel syrup below the cake, which rose just like a usual cake would. I wasn’t disappointed.
THANK YOU, Lauren, for sharing your talent and persona with the World! I predict that you are going places that you never even dreampt you could reach!
Sincerely,
Ms. Flo
How long do you broil them for on each side?
Loved theses! The Smokehouse Maple seasoning was key. First time I tried Stubb’s, it’s now my favorite.
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Around here in Texas the rib racks with the rear membrane already removed are known as St Louis ribs. It will make things easier and faster to cook.
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Thanks for sharing! Worked like a charm and so easy, too.
[…] Easy Oven Baby Back Ribs […]
Can you do this with regular ribs,not baby-back Are the instructions different thanks
Yes, regular ribs should work in the same way, just would need a little extra time in the oven.
You must buy and use the McCormick Smokehouse Maple Seasoning. This is the only seasoning I have been using on my ribs for a long time. Absolutely makes the best tasting ribs. I usually grill my ribs on low and on the top on the grill. This ioven method is an excellent method for making ribs in the winter. Love this method.
Excellent tips!
Hi Lauren,
My husband loves baby back ribs…on the smoker. He swears it’s the only way to cook ribs. Well…it so happened that I made these for dinner one night, he was on his way home from a work trip, he was amazed at the aroma coming from the kitchen. You should have seen his face when he tried the ribs! He loved them! They were so tender and tasty. Thanks to your delicious recipe now we cook the ribs two ways, on the smoker and in the OVEN!! LOL
This looks so delicious! Will definitely need to make soon.
These look to die for!!